I bought a TLR-1 HL-X for my G20 and the pistol and light have been stored for about a year and a half. The SL-B9 batteries were fully charged when I put the Glock in its case in March of last year. I pulled it out last night and the batteries were deader than Julius Caesar. Took more than hours to recharge them.

It hadn't occurred to me until now, that this WML doesn't have a lockout feature, unlike, for instance, the TLR-7 series.

I'm not certain if the light was inadvertently activated, but it would have to have been after the Glock storage case was closed. The way the pistol was sitting in the case, with a spare magazine next to the WML, I find it unlikely that the light was activated in the case.

Only two other explanations: either there is some defect with this particular TLR-1 HL-X or this model in general, or, the SL-B9 battery will not retain any sort of usable charge for 18 months.

Perhaps I'm being unrealistic. I realize these lithium rechargeables lose a bit of their charge each day, and if it's only 0.2 percent, then the 550 or so days the pistol was stored would mean the batteries would be completely depleted in that interval, and I think that's what happened.

So, this goes back to what I was saying in my other recent Streamlight thread, which is that CR123 batteries should be used in lights which are stored for long periods of time, and the TLR-1 HL-X does accept CR123s.

Then again, my G20 is not a pistol I keep at the ready, and I have a half-dozen spare SL-B9 batteries, so popping a fresh set into the WML when it comes out of storage, is the solution.

Doing the math while posting this thread, I think I have the answer, which is that these SL-B9 batteries, and lithium rechargeables in general, will not hold a charge for a year and a half. However, if anyone has experience to the contrary, please let me know.

This WML uses a pair of batteries, and I noticed that when I recharged them, one battery took about 25 minutes longer to fully charge, though I was not too surprised at this. Rechargeable batteries of the same type and manufacturer do seem to have such variances commonly.

quote:

the SL-B9 battery will not retain any sort of usable charge for 18 months.

Can't speak to SL-B9 rechargeable specifically but I do find that any rechargeable light or device will eventually run out of juice if left stored for some time.

Of course it's Google's AI answer but here are the details I could locate which corroborate your deductions about them.....


Why the SL-B9 Won't Hold a Charge for 18 Months

• Parasitic circuit drain. Unlike bare lithium-ion cells, the SL-B9 contains an onboard safety control circuit and a built-in USB-C charging board. These internal electronics draw a tiny, continuous trickle of power even when the battery is sitting outside a flashlight.

• Natural lithium-ion self-discharge. Standard lithium-ion chemistry naturally loses roughly 0.5% to 3% of its charge per month due to internal chemical reactions. Combined with the onboard protection circuit, the battery's capacity drops steadily over a year and a half.

• Over-discharge cutoff. Once the voltage drops below a safe threshold, the internal protection circuit cuts off output completely to prevent permanent cell damage. Even if a trace of energy remains in the cell, the battery will act completely dead until you plug it in to reset and recharge it.

• Device parasitic drain. If the battery is left installed inside a weapon light or tactical flashlight (such as a Streamlight TLR-7 X) for 18 months, the light's electronic switch adds extra standby drain, depleting the battery even faster.

Better Alternatives for Long-Term Storage

• Use disposable CR123A lithium batteries. For emergency kits, spare holsters, or lights stored for 18+ months without maintenance, primary lithium CR123A cells are the standard choice. They have a 10-year shelf life and minimal self-discharge.

• Schedule routine top-offs. If you prefer using the SL-B9 for daily carry or regular training, inspect and recharge it every 3 to 6 months to keep it ready and prevent deep-discharge wear.

In my experience, HRK is correct.

Most electronic devices will drain batteries even when they switched off. The best example I can think of for this is when I bought a few sets of Apple rechargeable AA batteries back in the day. They came 6 to a box. To keep the retail packaging small (classic Apple), they decided to put only 4 of the batteries in a separate section of the box, actually installing the remaining 2 in the supplied charger itself. To keep the retail packaging plastic-free (also classic Apple), they omitted the protective cover on the terminals of the 2 installed batteries. Because the sets were all old stock (at least 3 or 4 years old), in each box, the 2 batteries in the charger were completely dead. I actually had to use the paperclip trick to revive them (shorting them slightly to wake them up). The other 4 batteries in each box were completely fine and actually had most of their charge.

Granted, these batteries were rebranded Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloop units, and as such, they were NiMH and not Li-ion. However, it is the case with all batteries that when the terminals are left in contact with the corresponding connections of the switched-off electronic device (even an unplugged charger), all bets are usually off.